In the normal state of affairs, everything takes an inordinate time to get fixed here in Nepal. Even if something is fixed, there will be loopholes. No wonder people are compelled to dig into their pockets to hasten the process, not knowing what sort of obstacle lies ahead in the next corner. So is it possible to remain clean and tidy while floating on filth? For corrupt practices can be very difficult, if not impossible to reverse.

In a corrupt country, institutions function in the same manner, as they slowly creep into nonperforming ways. It is particularly true of developing countries with a history of poor governance. The rampant mismanagement in the distribution of POL (Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants) products, giving rise to black marketing and corruption amidst Indian blockade, is a case in point. Is it even realistic to hope for tangible reforms in state institutions amidst such moral deprivation?

ethopian

While we bear the fuel hardship, the Indian establishment has been parroting that it has no hand in the alleged blockade. With airlines facing severe fuel crunch, Boeing 757s were chartered to airlift aviation turbine fuel (ATF) as a stopgap measure. But the most such flight could bring was a mere 26 KL (kilolitre) each. The volume could have been many times bigger had the aircraft been a full-fledged tanker instead. Unfortunately, there seem to be none in the market, as maritime transport is much more viable in terms of both volume and cost. Besides, no other landlocked country, possibly, has a neighbor as unpredictable as ours that they would require such tankers.

That explains why airlines offered non-tankers like B767s and also B777s for ferrying fuel. Otherwise, aerial tankers are wholly military owned and cater mostly to their aerial refueling needs.

It was a real surprise that the bidder to bring fuel to Nepal included Ethiopian Airlines. As regards Ethiopia, we do not know much about it except that it is also poor, land-locked and ravished by deadly wars and repeated famines. But it was a shock to learn about Ethiopia’s one success story. What Ethiopians did was something unbelievable. Maybe it can offer some lessons for our policymakers on the way forward if Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) is stop being a laughing stock.

Established in 1945 as a national flag-carrier, Ethiopian Airlines has quickly become one of Africa’s leading carriers, unrivalled for efficiency and operational success, turning profits for most years of its existence. And like NAC it started with DC3s. It now commands a lion’s share of the pan-African network and serves 13 long-haul destinations using a fleet of 30 wide-body aircraft in a total fleet strength of 76. It had only 15 wide bodies just four years ago. It happened to be the second airline to fly B787 and also the newest Airbus 359 of which it has ordered 14.

The airline is said to have earned US $175 million in net profit last year, on revenues of US $2.27 billion, shooting nearly 12 percent past its $2-billion projection. Given its unstoppable growth, the carrier, which flies more global routes than any other African airline, expects to generate over US $10 billion in revenue in ten years.

Aviation experts view Ethiopian Airlines’ success story as a “far cry from the underperformance and/or comatose state of the airlines of South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria”. It has left many bewildered. This scribe wonders if this is good enough, as an eye opener, for our own loud-talking policy makers and airline executives.

How could Ethiopian Airlines be in such a rude health in a country suffering from all malaise common to any other poor country? It was the desire of Emperor Haile Selassie (who ruled from 1930 to 1974) to set up a world-class airline, basically to dispel the country’s poor status. He was able to inculcate a sense of dignity among Ethiopians to grow up as honest, country-loving and duty-bound citizens and to work for the general good.

Being the Emperor’s pet project, Ethiopian Airlines had a special significance. The odyssey of Ethiopian Airlines began with such values engrained right at its birth and this seems to be continuing till this day despite the tumultuous political changes in the interim.

Selassie was also far sighted in making the airline completely independent of government interference. Ethiopia had been through a far-worse period than we have and yet the airline was able to work independently all along. Most importantly, it was always professionally run and managed. It is something that we are yet to believe in and implement.

It is not something drastic that NAC needs, beyond what Ethiopian Airlines had from its first day. Our politicians, and their parties, need to look beyond their own interests for a change. Haile Selassie being an emperor had the foresight that our “elected representatives” seem to lack. The moot question is: will the politicians let go of the shackles lest NAC forgets flying altogether? If not, it should not be kept afloat as politician’s flag bearer.

Dawit, my problem is the use of language, how would an Ethiopian farmer know what media means in amharic? Using media for local audience is wrong. I am sure there is a world in amharic for media. Assume you are one of the 90 % farmers in Ethiopia? how would you know what media is? There is also business? there is word for business in amharic? This is wrong. I have lived in many country and studied anthropology on the use of language, you have to use language or words or phrases all people can understand. Even when you use amharic? you have to use simple amharic every audience can understand. You do not write ennglis h worlds in Amharic like Bususiness, international, media , … there is a big communication problem in the country. I do not understand why Ethiopians borrowing english words and writing them in amharic? This is 100% wrong. It is very annoying when people write foreign language in amharic while they have local words to use. I was watching the meeting in mekele and the people waela conference? Waela is Tigrignea for conference, but the speakers uses both Waela conference, oh my God, too much ignorance.

u r right should translate everything in Afan oromo and other 80 ethnic language to make 90% farmers to understand Amharic then again if 90% of farmer had tv that is something … each and ever region must have their own Tv channel and they cant depend on TV from Addis Ababa one more thing when we use to be youth we used to watch Indian movie so thinking someone said one word in English no body will understand them is beyond me… this is one language promoter are the one who push this today youth are not the old generation they speak differently then the old timer so we have to accept it beside we should also learn English that is the base of all communication

let me add one thing why not tell us media MEANS the other day i was watching about farmer they were saying safety net etc etc there are many word that make it to Amharic even we took many word form Italian word language is living and breathing thing it keep on involving u cant keep it clear even the English language borrowed many word for french Latin and other language … beside hidden agenda it is beyond me to notice one word out of this revolutionary change having a second TV over all private TV satiation that is a milestone

To begin with, I’m not a fun to the privately owned media policy because of the criminal nature of the privately owned corporate Medias in the west and the evil nature of the so called Journalists (spay agents) in the west mainly from England, USA and others that are English speaking graduated from the old and retarded English empire school of Journalism. However, all of them are in line with working together when it comes to being against a foreign nation or person/people mainly Africa and black people.

Look at BBC and its nature against Africa and Black people ever since it is created 70 years ago including during colonization, apartheid, the independent struggle and uprisings. Ethiopia is constantly under its evil wolf eyes lens for the last 41 years engaging with none stop propaganda media wars with goal to damage the nation image, undermining its ancient and beautiful free people, create divisions, hostilities, wars and destructions in order to stop development with goal to keep the people ignorant, weak, poor, isolated, easily manipulated, defeated and lost including in their own country. This is the policy and main jobs coming from the Top with participants from all courses of high institutions, politicians, imperialists, scholars and so on.

However, BBC is not a privately owned media but a corporate media financed by the British people, EU, USA state department and so on (for its evil service against the world/Africa based on their policies) despite it is owned by the English establishment and the Zionists/Jews that are part of the Tiny English Empire horrible crimes against humanity and nature for the last 500 years including conducting brutal slavery for 300 years, colonization, occupations and each and every crime done by them against the world mainly beyond Europe.

We are hoping “Nahun” is capable, ready and committed serving the country doing the media jobs based on the country circumstances and benefits. We are also expecting Ethiopian Medias including Nahun will get matured brain and a strong stomach acting as human do with abilities and integrities doing the right jobs for the sake of the mass including behaving as brave media solder protecting the nation from the English, USA, South African and so on media wars going on for decades. Ethiopia needs the best media solders to protect her by fiercely and none stop fighting and defeating the worst foreign enemies that are waging the worst kind of wars using medias including being in the country acting as if they are peaceful, friendly and useful which is the rule of the game they are good at until they achieve what they are looking and planning.

What Ethiopia needs form her own Medias are simple, clean and clear and that is serving the nation with well developed and hard and good working media services for the sake of the nation. Ethiopia needs to be free from the decades long none stop foreign media influences of wars motivated by hate, disrespect, benefits, power and so on in Africa by targeting any nation that is trying to be independent politically, economically, intellectually, socially, culturally, linguistically and so on as Ethiopia was, is and always will be no matter how these hateful and disrespectful racists and greedy imperialists are trying to stop her in her own place.

Nahun must keep and respect the nation media law by doing the right things for the sake of the nation. The Ethiopian media enemies are and have to be the English lead western Medias started from BBC and we must fight them until they completely stop their crimes at least from our own country. Working with other Medias such as CCTV, RT and so on is the best thing to do. China, Russian and so on media coverage are good examples for the Ethiopian Medias to learn from in order to serve for their nations good, benefits and future.

Become clean and free from the horrible and sick English lead western (English speaking) Media wrong services and the old and retarded English school of journalism. You need to re educated yourself if you are infected by the English types of media ownerships and coverage. Ethiopian Medias need to expose and discredit foreign Medias that are trying to affect Ethiopia started from BBC and those from South Africa run by the Apartheids that are still in charge and total control in the Black Country working together with their English and Zionists cousins from…. against the interest of Africa and black people including in Africa.

It is a fact that this new station is not an independent, or free. I guaranty that this station is a front for TPLF and obliged to stick with the strict rules set by Debrestion and the Agazi crew. Once a free media is set up in current Ethiopia, the fall of our internal colonizers/EPRDF is garanteed. That is why the Ethiopian people prefer ESAT & VOA. For entertainment, Ethiopians prefer movies on Dish. Thanks to modern technology, Ethiopians watch what the free world offers not ETV 1,23,4,5,6,7, EBS or other gov’t affiliated TV or Radio stations.

Hi Gemechu, what I cann’t understand why you pick up some individuals to spread your hatred. By doing so you are undermining the other peoples roles as they they don’t know nothing and cann’t do anything and forsure there is and won’t be such thing. The thing that you have different idea is great but a political oppenent doesn’t mean an enemy.Settle down, come to your senses and buffer your acute emotions.

Message to Dawit: Dawit, can you stop Ethiopians officials from talking mixed language to the public? Nowhere on earth people mix different languages when they address farmers. Go and listen to Aregash Beyene at Aiga website. This stupid people can not develop a country because they can not even communicate with a proper language. What a nightmare

Alright,it looks like to get alternative mass media access for such populous and multilingual nation:Ethiopia and Ethiopians.Yet,what about the legitimacy of the state by z people? for most at keast urban middle class happens to be im suspicious of EBCs.I,personally feel the pain related to be exposed to western media.But,i am also in feeling insecure if the government and it’s institutions behave genunily for th common national interest.Eventhough many notice the ill concived and ill dedigned policies of the west including media,we need to go along way to institutionalize true national,context based,and geniun media service.The crux of the matter is that media in developing countries including Ethiopia usually serve as a politically driven hegemony tool and skiwed to those who are in power.In the end,Ethiopia tinure.

I agree with you that the inauguration of a private TV channel in a country where private media is quite rare might appear a step in the right direction. But much depends on what the media, private or public, do to hold the Govt to account rather than the number of the media groups itself. In a country where every institution is just an extension of the Govt, I think there is every reason that the general public, those in the country and the ones in the diaspora, remain extremely pessimistic about the reputation of the media in Ethiopia, which is extremely blighted with controversy. The Govt knows that in the absence of a stringently critical media scrutiny, there would be good chances that the public buy its undiminishing popularity, even in the wake of the uprisings in Oromia that had seen several deaths and huge damage to public and private property; the only huge fly in the ointment being ESAT and OMN — that had been reporting hundreds of deaths and tens of thousands of arrests. Whether this new entertainment media that is just licensed and inaugurated would change the image of Ethiopian press remains to be seen though. I expected the Ethiopian media, which had a lot of praise for the now dead-in-the-water Addis Ababa Master plan, to at least thread so carefully in their getting so cozy to Govt officials, but as usual, what I saw was the same old massaging of Govt statements to polish senior officials look so nice, even if this meant looking to be seen as throwing mud on the victims of a terrible tragedy. House Speaker, Abadula Gemeda, who appeared so nervous that his Govt Oromo party received heavy and undue criticism in the wake of this tragedy, received an apology from Mimi Sebhatu and Govt Communications Affairs Office Minister, Getachew Redda, who appeared unable to divorce his own ego from his professional performance, got a free pass from an Ethiopian developmental media. Getachew’s nervousness extended to his appearance on Fana, where he again looked so insecure like a woman whose husband works in the proximity of dozens of gorgeous women when he said Bahir Dar’s alliance with Adama in this specific tragedy amounted to complete strangers sharing a single bed. The Minister’s silliness not only sullied the dignity of his office, but it also reflected his being a political infant who fails to understand that there are no permanent foes or permanent allies in politics. Having felt it had seen enough of its golden political base go up in flames, the Govt rightly decided to back down and scrap the so called Master Plan, but the rhetoric by the Prime Minister to crack down on ‘Anti-peace elements’, in my view, would only create endless ghosts in his Govt’s nightmares. Without a wealth of State Machinery at its disposal, the opposition knew that the Govt stood no chance against them and the former were convinced that they could strip away the cloak that was concealing the regime’s true worth from its shoulders and expose the latter’s inadequacy to the world. However, while the Govt’s shortcomings remain transparently clear to all to see, taking any delight from such a terrible tragedy ailing our nation is appalling, unfortunate and disgusting. According to an analysis I received from a Former Ethiopian official, who is now studying at the Kennedy School of Govt, Ethiopian officials were preoccupied with the daunting task of shoring up regime legitimacy and attempting to restore bureaucratic discipline through the Govt’s Critical- Self Evaluation (gemgema) program, and officials have been attempting to low-ball the number of civilian casualties to the extent possible and extend an olive branch to Communities most affected by this tragedy.

As Gezae repeatedly and correctly stated, at times giving his country of naturalization, Canada, as a bright example demonstrating exceptional political pluralism, subscribing to a politics based on ethnicity, race, creed, religion or sexual orientation is a deadly exercise, and the recent deadly uprising in Oromia is a peculiar testimony that partitioning a nation based on ethnicity is tantamount to deliberately courting disaster. It is true that Federalism is the only way to bridge a gulf between Ethiopian Communities who feel there was a need for a strong Central Authority and those who feel there was a need for a significant decentralization of Central Authority to the grass-roots, at times going to the extent of almost crippling the Central Govt, but with the media and other crucial institutions fully in the pocket of the Govt, it is extremely difficult, if at all possible, to achieve such ends. For now, the Govt, and sadly not the media, appeared to have put a Band-Aid on the deadly wound ailing the nation, though it is crystal clear that this, if anything, would only treat a symptom and not the disease; and in my very view, the only cure to our nation’s ailment appears Ethiopia’s economic and political connectivity to the Globalization’s core.

Tatek, I decided to respond to you, because, when I saw your voluminous comment, it has touched some relevant and irrelevant issues in it. You mentioned Abadual, Mimi Sibahtu the communication Minister and so on. This is Gondere style assassination. First of all, Addis Ababa master plan is not dead in the water. The dead in the water is the integral mater plan of Oromia and Addis Ababa. Addis Ababa master plan will be implemented unilaterally, so there is a deference. Abadula criticized but Mimi explained to him the way other concerned people see it. As he admit it there was short coming in the Government side and that led to the violent clash between innocent demonstrators, who were highly agitated by MMerara Gudina thugs. These are some reasons from most for your comment. The response of Getachew reda should make irritate you because that is the intent of a the speexh. Getachew Reda is one of the brightest and articulate young maverick of this generation not your generation.

ZEna means News that doesn’t explain the whole story now pls tell me what Video means in Amharic and also what TV mean in Amharic do u have meaning for that my second point is the whole Technology was brought from Western country u should left something in English to stay thank you form give us this technology otherwise if u change everything to Amharic then the history will be lost …. the best example is Popcorn if our forefather name it in Amharic the history would have been lost …3rd suggesting the farmer will not understand one English word that by itself is offensive to me and to the farmer at large… in fact i suggest English language TV show part and parcel this new TV station….

Forget about private TV the burning issue today is the collapse of tplf. I have bad news for tplf the EU parlamenet deside to suspend the 3blon dollar fund which was given to tplf every year is not anymore avelbel.

It is good to see your comment, and by extension your unequivocal defense of EPRDF officials. I care less about protecting people who don’t deserve to be protected, mainly when they are on the wrong side of history, and my only concern is to stick to the right thing. My comments about Speaker Abadula Gemeda is nothing personal against the big OPDO guy; it is rather based on his reactions following the tragedy in Oromia when he confronted Ms Mimi for an undeserved apology and asked for respect. As you had correctly stated and the PM, Abadula and other officials had clearly admitted, there was a big failure on the part of the regime vis-à-vis the public uprising in Oromia that just resulted in several deaths and countless arrests. If this was so, why didn’t Abadula, the PM himself and others, including Getachew Redda, just resign in grace in light of the fact that this was a gross regime failure; instead of playing a frame game and attempting to label the so called ‘anti-peace forces’? EPRDF have been labeling others for decades now when they happen to mis-step but the label doesn’t seem to stick and the media is doing nothing in the wake of such regime failures. Why didn’t Mimi ask him and others to resign in the wake of Govt admittance that it had failed the public? Why an apology? Why is the Govt more important than the people? That is my main issue with Ethiopia’s ‘developmental media’. As to Getachew Redda, what I said was he let his ego get the better of him and cloud his professional performance when giving a Press statement. He never issued any apology, and he seemed to have forgotten that he is after all a public official and the Ethiopian people expected him to be professional at all times. If a girl feels she is old enough to have sex, society has every reason to expect her to be old enough to be a mother. In the same token, if Getachew felt he was old enough to be in the cabinet, the Ethiopian public had every reason to expect him to check his ego in public. If he thought he was too young to be able to brake his ego, probably he doesn’t belong where he is right now and taxpayers have every reason to expect him to pack and go to where kids belong. Please don’t try to stick me to specific places or communities as I don’t believe in ethnicity. That’s very much a province of your EPRDF guys, and as such, take it to them and tell them to take it to the bank. For me Gondar, Mekelle, Adama, Awassa — are all mine. They are all my people; and by extension you, big Abadula, the PM, Getachew Redda and of course, our big Dawit Kebede, are all our people. We might have different ideas, opinions and convictions but we are all children of the same family. Let’s stand for the truth and what unites us and reject bigotry, division, corruption and patronage and all work for our people to make a difference. Be blessed and happy Holiday.

As long as televisions, newspapers, etc are operating in Ethiopian and under the strict rules of TPLF they are not genuine and independent. They serve as alternatives to other TPLF media. For example take the Ethiopian Reporter. It is another form of Addis Zemen or Ethiopian Herald. It is TPLF’s moth piece.

As long as televisions, newspapers, etc are operating in Ethiopia and under the strict rules of TPLF they are not genuine and independent. They serve as alternatives to other TPLF media. For example take the Ethiopian Reporter. It is another form of Addis Zemen or Ethiopian Herald. It is TPLF’s moth piece.